What are the bold ideas, investments, experiments and moonshots shaping the future? Find out at The Future of Everything Festival, May 2-4. We’re gathering the most curious minds to explore what’s next with the change agents thinking lightyears ahead. From our front page to your front row seat, we’re taking a critical look at the solutions and possibilities driving discovery. And we’re pointing you toward the stars worth hitching to. The future isn’t far-reaching. It’s now. And it all happens here. As a subscriber, enjoy exclusive discounted rates. Register here. |
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🎬 Watch: Inside the Lucrative—and Secretive—Business of iPhone Trade-Ins |
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| PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: KENNY WASSUS |
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Phone makers and carriers want your old phone, writes the WSJ’s Joanna Stern, because recycling is good for the environment—and for business. Analyst firm IDC calculates that over 282 million secondhand smartphones shipped in 2022 (refurbished and just plain used). That’s less than the 1.2 billion new phones shipped that year, but IDC projects the secondhand market will grow more than 10% annually until 2026. More on this topic: 🎬 How thieves can take over iPhones in minutes. (Watch) |
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| PHOTO: JOSHUA A. BICKEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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“Forever chemicals” are all around us, from winter coats to fast-food wrappers. The EPA is proposing the first federal limits on six of these PFAS chemicals in drinking water. These chemicals, which are found in the blood of nearly everyone in the U.S., were used in industry and consumer products worldwide for more than 70 years because of their ability to resist water, grease and stains and to put out fires. More on this topic: What are PFAS chemicals—and are they hazardous? (Read) |
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The Tiny, Ethical Mini Brain | For the past decade, scientists have been using stem cells to grow brain organoids. They've often been called "mini-brains," even though they're just cells in a dish. Researchers have used them to study diseases and the impact of chemicals on brain development. But now this research is entering a new chapter: those bundles of cells are becoming more sophisticated as scientists teach them to do complex tasks like playing Pong. Does that mean these cells have consciousness? It’s raising new questions over the ethics of this kind of research, while also opening up new doors to the future of medicine. | |
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4,000 miles | The approximate length of the great Atlantic sargassum belt, a giant mass of brownish seaweed floating in the Atlantic Ocean that’s expected to come ashore in the coming months. |
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Meta researchers made a tool to predict the structure of millions of proteins, which could speed the discovery of new drugs. The AI-based computer program, ESMFold, has generated a public database of 617 million predicted proteins. Meta says its AI is 60 times faster, but less accurate, than AlphaFold, the protein-prediction model from DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet. |
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🎬 Watch: New NASA Spacesuits Are Designed to Put a Woman on the Moon |
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| PHOTO: DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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The prototype suits were developed by Axiom Space for moonwalkers on the Artemis III mission, which is currently planned for 2025. The spacesuit differs from earlier kits, which were designed for the typical male body. The Artemis III mission, which NASA says will also be the first to put a person of color on the moon, is the agency’s first attempt to return astronauts to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972. More on this topic: A recent SpaceX mission to the International Space Station was postponed. (Read) |
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Last week, we reported on the controversial, face-morphing “Bold Glamour” TikTok effect. Readers shared their thoughts on what effects they think digital filters have on young users: "As a 17-year-old dude, I can say that my friends and peers are deeply affected by these filters. I notice a lot of people trying to reach those standards. I think that TikTok is really horrible, and it’s causing a lot of issues for physical, and especially mental, health." —Jack Battin, Washington "I’m patiently waiting for a generational diagnosis of body dysmorphia to finally communicate just how toxic it is to have to deal with not only the constant perception of your face and other people’s faces but also the constant alteration of those faces. Social media ties your worth to your appearance—and young users are too vulnerable to know better!" —Melody Kamrani, California (Responses have been condensed and edited.) |
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Some public swimming pools in the U.K. are installing mini data centers to provide sustainable heating. (The Verge) This couple just got married in the Taco Bell metaverse. (MIT Tech Review) Insect farming is booming. But is it cruel? (Wired) How Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant lost the AI race. (The New York Times) |
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